“And who are the Walkers?” continued Donald, bent on learning all he could, for the benefit of his chum, who was listening eagerly, his face filled with surprise, because all this was indeed news to him.
“The Walkers—well, they happen to be a pretty numerous family in Wyoming at the present time,” replied his informant, cautiously.
“They got three ranches down south from here, and people says as how—” began a second cow-puncher, when one of his mates held up a finger warningly—“well, all I’m agoin’ to say is that lots of people believe they ain’t runnin’ them three ranches jest for the cattle they raise. Some say the Walkers are bootleggers in the dry counties, acarryin’ licker when it’s against the law. Others have gone further and call ’em a bunch of cattle rustlers; but as for me, kids, remember that I ain’t asayin’ anything agin that bunch, I don’t know a thing; I’m just tellin’ what I heard other folks say.”
“It may be true, and agin it might be a pack o’ lies,” a second remarked, as he prepared to start off again, after shaking hands with Adrian and his chums.
“But where there’s smoke there’s nearly always fire,” observed Donald, sagaciously, as he in turn took the hand of each of the three genial punchers in his.
“You never spoke truer words, my friend,” said
the last man, leaning down to speak in a low tone, as though he feared that the trees might carry what he said to hostile ears; “and while you’re around these diggin’s best remember not to get too much interested in what the Walkers are adoin’. They seem to have a wide chain o’ friends, and nobody ain’t ever had the grit to round that bunch up, so far. We used to work on the Bar-S before she came there, but it soon got too warm for us, and we quit. So-long, boys; hope you get safe back again down in old Arizona, where some of us may drop in later on; and if we do, we’ll sure hunt up the Keystone Ranch, and ask for Donald Mackay.”
With that he too whirled his cow pony around, and waving his hand to the boys, went off at a reckless pace in a cloud of dust.
[CHAPTER IV.—THE NIGHT ALARM.]
“That was a time you got some news that looks like it staggered you, Adrian,” remarked Billie, after the three cow-punchers had dashed away, on their road west.